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12. A Gorgeous Agent with the Rose of Destiny in Her Heart

Najica has finally come to face to face with Dr Ren at the train station that passes beneath Ren’s base, but the doctor is far from pleased to see her. As far as Ren is concerned, she doesn’t need a CRI agent to protect her- not when she has her beloved Humaritts. As Najica insists that she must carry out her orders, another train travels through the station. Ren swiftly jumps on top of the roof as the train passes, leaving Najica to face another wave of Humarion guards

Whilst Gento receives word that the military will be making their final strike at dawn, Najica manages to take down the guards, but not before they manage to graze her arm with a bullet. As the blood begins to soak through her jacket, Ren returns to the station, calling for her Humaritt Triple X to come over and finish Najica off.

When Triple X fails to show up, Najica takes the opportunity to launch herself at Ren and pin the doctor to the ground. At close quarters, however, Najica’s sense of smell reveals something out of the ordinary. The scent Ren is wearing is already familiar to Najica- because it is the same as that worn by Triple X. And, given that Triple X is nowhere in sight, Najica can only conclude that Triple X and Doctor Ren are one and the same.

Furious that Najica would question her humanity, Ren angrily grabs the CRI agent and throws her to the ground, before drawing a pair of golden pistols. As Najica continues to taunt her with the truth, Ren begins firing, but Najica swiftly dodges her bullets and shoots back, grazing Ren’s cheek. The cut begins to bleed- not the red blood of a flesh and blood human, but the pink blood of a Humaritt. Unable to deny it any longer, Ren begins to morph back into Triple X. The real Dr Ren is long gone- Triple X’s charade was only the Humaritt’s attempt to convince herself that her creator had not abandoned her and left her here without a master.

With the dawn fast approaching, the military are already making final preparations for an aerial strike on Ren’s base, despite the fact that Najica and Lila have yet to emerge. And it doesn’t like Najica will be able to leave any time soon, for now that she has returned to her original personality, Triple X is as deadly as ever. As she resumes firing at Najica, Triple X manages to hit her in the leg, and the wounded agent quickly makes for cover as best she can. Unfortunately, Najica is bleeding badly, and Triple X is easily able to track her from the blood that has dripped onto the floor. The Humaritt manages to approach Najica’s hiding place from above, and when the agent turns to fire on Triple X, she discovers that her gun is out of ammo.

It looks like it may be all over for Najica as a triumphant Triple X raises her gun, but before the Humaritt can fire, she spots something in the distant- Alpha. As Triple X calls to him, however, Alpha runs back into the shadows, only to tentatively re-emerge behind none other than Lila.

Triple X wants nothing more than for Alpha to come to her- it is the Humaritt’s plan to make him into her new master. As Lila calmly informs Triple X that Alpha does not want to go with her, the Humaritt becomes distraught. Her feelings soon turn to anger however, and in short order, the Humaritt decides that if Alpha will not come with her, he will have to be destroyed.

As Lila protectively shields Alpha from Triple X, Najica tries to dissuade the Humaritt from shooting at them, only to have Triple X turn and start firing at her instead. In response, Lila shoots one of Triple X’s guns out of her hands, but she swiftly responds by shooting away Lila’s firearm with her second pistol. Tossing her own, empty, weapon at Triple X, Najica manages to hit her squarely in the back, before following up with a physical attack that catches the Humaritt in the stomach. Unfortunately, Triple X is easily able to withstand the blow, and soon sends the CRI agent flying into the wall. Moving in, Lila knocks Triple X’s second pistol away, but is soon knocked down when the other Humaritt hits her in the back.

Dodging Triple X’s follow up, Lila springs into the air to make a final attack, and Triple X does the same. Launching themselves at each other, the two Humaritts aim to punch each other in the face, and although they both land a blow, it is Lila who falls to the ground.

With the opposition downed, Triple X prepares to collect Alpha, but to her horror, he bursts out crying as soon as she begins to approach him. Hesitant and uncertain, Triple X tries to figure out what to do next, but even as she stands there, the building begins shaking- the military have begun their aerial strike. From high above, the army planes launch a cluster of missiles at the base, and before too long, the entire place is reduced to rubble.

As the smoke clears, Najica manages to pull herself from the wreckage of Ren’s base, injured but still very much alive. Looking up, she sees Lila standing amongst the rubble, and when the Humaritt spots her, she runs happily to her master. Even as they greet each other, however, they are interrupted by a plaintive cry- Alpha is still alive.

Leaving her master behind, Lila runs to the source of the sound, where she desperately tries to lift a piece of stonework and free the trapped Alpha. Joining her, Najica offers to help, and between them, the two partners manage to move the piece of wreckage, revealing the crushed body of Triple X. The Humaritt gave her life to save Alpha, shielding his body with her own when the building started falling down.

Before anyone else can find them, Najica, Lila and Alpha take Triple X’s body to a field of flowers, where they gently lay her to rest. Now they must decide what happens next- should they return Alpha to Gento, or choose another course? Najica reminds Lila that their orders call for the recovery of all Humaritts, but Lila does not want to let Alpha go- not when it means she might never see him again. Raising one of Triple X’s pistols, Najica aims it at Lila, telling the Humaritt that if she really wants to be with Alpha, then she will have to shoot her master. In return, Lila takes out the second pistol, and she too aims it at her partner. As they stand facing each other, the two partners finally express the depth of their feelings for each other, before slowly but surely pulling the triggers of their respective weapons…

Some time later, Najica is back at CRI, but she is just about ready for a vacation. The Sunday scent is finally complete, and with Majima willing to let her go for a little while, Najica heads off to take a break- much to the disappointment of Gento, who was hoping to take her to a concert.

On vacation, Najica finds herself enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. Sitting outside a café with a cup of tea, she finds herself staring into the crowd, only to spot two familiar faces- Lila and Alpha. After looking at Najica briefly, the pair turn away, fading back into the crowd. Was it really them, or was it just Najica’s imagination? What really happened when Najica and Lila pulled the trigger back on the hill? These are questions which cannot be answered…